In a season of reckless award of an already debased national honour compounded by the stark ineptitude of the administrative machinery of government that would falter even in the small matter of procurement of required number of medals to go round the inordinate number of awardees before the glare of a stunned world, bringing a Nigerian of international distinction to my readers is cheery and apropos.On November 10, the Institute of African Studies of the University of Ibadan opened the art exhibition of Olu Amoda as part of the universitys convocation activities. The exhibition runs for a whole month (till December), showcasing Amodas sculptural works as he interrogates the society in which he lives and laments the trajectory, nay, decay, of a once glorious country. In one sense, therefore, the exhibition already anticipates the comical awards and forces us to laugh at ourselves even as we are provoked to wonder when the needed revolution would come.Warri-boy Olu Amoda, is perhaps the most notable sculptor of his generation working with a variety of metal materialsnails, discarded metals, etcto create amusing and evocative imageries for which he has attained international recognition. Amoda is a master at creating the extraordinary from the most ordinary,Amoda themes the exhibition open-ended as A nation at 50 is a!characteristically challenging us to complete it as we deem fit. Without a qualifier to the kind of nation, we are unable to allude to the A fool at 40 is a simile. However, for his own amusement, Amoda provides a substitute title, Nigeria Farm And A Sunday-Sunday Conversation Between Benjamin & Clovera satire, a la George Orwells Animal Farm, symbolising his own fascination with horses and the Nigerian coat of arms.For me, Amoda says, the horses, eagle, grass and rivers in the coat of arms were all symbols of a country of farming, fishing and, above all, of strength, unity and pride.He says further, I have a deep sense of now living in an animal farm mainly on account of the simple reason of my childhood perception of my country Nigeria. The two horses of the coat of arms are now my Benjamin and Clover; the eagle is drowned in the oil polluted creeks of the Niger Delta. In one of these polluted creeks floats my cradle in the midst of tall elephant grass shielding it from passerby. In this animal farm of mine, all I can see is Benjamin drinking from the polluted waters of the creek of the Niger Delta, with Clover waiting for the zoning pendulum to swing in her direction.It is not too difficult to see (read) from the classic works of ingeniously meshed assorted nails and sundry metals, in their reorder and disorder, Amodas lamentation on what his dear native land has turned to be. The visual impact is forceful and somber and we cannot laugh.Nowhere is this more poignant than in his depiction of the state of our once glorious postal service. Post office mailboxes, once glittering and efficient deliverers of our mails, are revealed in their rustiness, emptiness, and ruin. Another is in the doleful representation of the state of perpetual darkness in which the masses live, thrust in relief by the surrounding lit lamps of the cynical leaders and their rich companions.Born on February 6, 1959 at Okere, Warri, in todays Delta State, Amoda is a sculptor, poet, teacher, muralist, fabricator and more.An impressed Prof. Folorunso Adewole, vice-chancellor of the university, adds that Amoda can also be described as an environmental scientist through his consuming passion to recycle and use metals that would otherwise constitute environmental hazard. Chief Akande, owner of Splash FM and chair of the occasion, says Amoda gives life to perceived dead materials that we have discarded and creates art out of any and every metal that he can bind together. And concludes: This is what I call an unlimited creative spirit.Amoda has been an instructor of sculpture and drawing at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, from1987 to date; and his works have been exhibited all over the world, including being part of the acclaimed touring exhibition tagged Out of the Ordinary at the Victoria and Albert Museum, England; and is part of the permanent collection of the New Ark Museum, New Jersey, USA.Ever controversial and provocative, of himself, Amoda says: I describe myself as a modern-day archaeologist who does not have to excavate to discover the materials in my work. In my case, I am not trying to discover a lost civilisation. I, however, know that my work will pose a big challenge to archaeologists to determine the age of the final object. The conglomeration of the different materials I use, which includes materials used by up to four people, as well as fresh and dated objects, will puzzle carbon 14 dating machines, says Amoda, to explain the basic philosophy that shapes his life and vision.The Victoria & Albert Museum website quotes Amoda as saying:Nails are used in my work as a metaphor. They have survived generations and remain one of the most ideal and enduring pieces of engineering. Nails depend on the notion of shared responsibilities, like ants. Small but lethal, a nail is able to defend itself, but yields to the will of the craftsman. What we call little things are merely the causes of great things: they are the beginning, the embryo and the point of departure, which, generally speaking, decides the whole future of an existence.Artspeakafrica, personal blog of Bisi Silva on contemporary visual art and culture in Nigeria, writes:Olu Amodas work involves welding several found objects, including iron, a tough unyielding material lacking in the fine sinuosity of the precious metals, to create sculpture that are full of powerful contrasts. They are gritty and seductive, brooding and redemptive, personal and monumental all at the same time.The power of the work derives from its combination of abstract shapes, with pointed references to the human form; while the use of other materials enhance the crisp contours and imparts a solidity typical of conventional sculpture that are imbued with enigmatic beauty that reflects subtle understanding of context, respect for tradition, while embracing modernism and capable of attaining a synthesis between matter and space.As if to underscore their pricelessness, none of the works on the U.I. exhibition is for sale. And to ward off pesterers, Olu humorously provided a price list in which the least of the item carried a price tag of N40bn! It is intentional; this set of Olu Amodas works is meant for exhibition across the country only.Dr. Ohioma Pogoson, curator at the institute who persuaded Amoda for the exhibition, believes that it is appropriate that Amoda premiers the road show of his works at Nigerias premier university before moving elsewhere in the country.It is the institutes Second Annual Convocation Art Exhibition, and it is gratifying that the opening was attended by many dignitaries, including the immediate past VC, Prof. Femi Bamiro; Registrar, Mrs. Ikotun; Director of the Institute, Prof. Olawole Albert; and foremost art collector, Omooba Yemisi Shyllon who, perhaps, has the largest individual collection of Amodas works.The exhibition of Olu Amodas works is such an experience!
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